Red Brick Road
by Hope is in Pandora's Box
Summary: Did you ever wonder what would've happened if Dorothy took the red brick road? This Dorothy did, but it was she who painted it so. A reluctant Hatter and company take her prisoner, not realizing the danger they're in. She only knows her future, nothing of her past. And that Wicked Witch really wants her ruby slippers, no matter whose blood stains them. Crap summary, Break x OC
1. Prologue -- The Wizard of Odd

**Hello. ouo**

**So... first Pandora Hearts fic. Yuuuup. I didn't even try with the honorifics. Please yell at me if I'm doing something wrong. o-o;**

**This story starts a bit after episode 20 (Retrace 28 for you manga readers; I'm referencing the anime for this so... o-o;), the drunk episode~**

**Now, enjoy~!**

A flustered man strode hastily down the hallway. His long black cloak, a symbol of the Pandora organization, swished at his ankles, threatening to catch and send him tumbling. He silently prayed he would fall and break something vital. Being the bringer of bad news was his least favorite job, and if the tidings he brought a certain red-eyed clown were anything, they were very bad.

He stopped before a door in the middle of the hall. Inhaling deeply, he counted to three under his breath and pushed open the door. Peeking inside, he squeaked, "Lady Sharon?"

The girl adorned in pink and frills looked up from her cup of tea. The dying light streaming through the windows added a gleam to her light brown hair and a sparkle to the pale pink irises of her eyes. With a kind smile, she said, "Ah, Reim. Please, do come sit down."

"T-thank you," Reim stuttered, slipping into a chair at the round table. He was shaking uncontrollably. Attempting to regain his composure, he snatched the glasses from his face and began to polish them ferociously.

Daintily, Sharon set down her ornate teacup onto its matching saucer. "What may I do for you, Reim?"

"A-ah," Reim stammered, replacing his glasses. "I was hoping you might know where Break is."

The words had not so much as left his mouth when an odd sensation trickled down his spine. Reim felt like he was being watched, and he had a good idea of who was doing it. Where usually he might have felt the inklings of joy to see his friend, he now had a violent twang of dread. With a trembling hand, he lifted back the edge of the snow-white tablecloth.

What greeted Reim was what he expected: a crimson eye framed by white hair that stood out haphazardly in all directions. The creepy figure under the table flapped a white sleeve at him. "Hmmm~? Someone looking for me?"

Reim pinched the bridge of his nose irritably. "Break, have you ever entered a room _normally_?"

Break slithered out from under the table to perch on its edge. "What do you mean, 'normally'? I'm absolutely normal~."

"By your low standards..." Reim sighed, looking at his hands. "But towards the point, I have some... Pandora-related information for you."

Break's red eye narrowed, leaving behind his joking disposition in a heartbeat. "What is it?"

Turning his gaze to Break, Reim could hardly whisper shakily, "She's been sighted."

Sharon stared curiously at the two men before her. "'She?' Who is he talking about, Break?"

Break didn't respond. He only looked blankly ahead, seeming absolutely mortified.

Then, quietly, he murmured, "Are you sure it's her?"

"Yes," Reim squeaked, bracing himself in case the fellow Pandora member lashed out at him. Break had every right to. It had been Reim's job to take care of this so long ago, but... he hadn't been able to bring himself to do it. It was that look in her eyes... and what she'd told him. He'd gone soft, and now this was the mess he'd caused. It was his entire fault.

However, Break took no immediate action. At first, he only retreated behind a curtain of his own snowy hair, lost in silent thought.

Suddenly, his head snapped back, and he was making the most peculiar sound. It took a moment for his two companions to register what he was doing. Break was laughing—no, cackling. His wicked chuckle frightened Sharon and Reim to no end. His hidden sinister nature was well-known by them both, but they had never encountered a part of Break that was as dark as the man on the table between them.

It took him a moment, but soon Break gained a bit more control on his giggle fit. "Ah, yes," he sighed. "I always loved having my fortune told."

* * *

"A carnival?"

"Yes, Oz," Break replied, all cheery smiles. "You all have done such a great job with this Pandora business, I thought I'd treat you~."

Oz returned his upbeat attitude, although his words did not. "Somehow, I find that very hard to believe."

"I'm not stupid, you clown," Alice insisted through a mouthful of her beloved meat. Enormous drumsticks bounced in each hand as she ripped the meat free of the bone, chomping it down with her usual sour expression. She pointed one at Break, exclaiming accusingly, "You want something from us!"

"Stop talking with your mouth full, damn rabbit!" Gil called from the balcony, where he'd politely excused himself to smoke.

Alice waved her drumsticks angrily in his direction. "Shut up, kelp head! You can't make me!"

Ignoring their bickering, Oz pondered a moment. "Break, wasn't it you that said you only do things for yourself?"

Break's smile faded. "You know, you're a really annoying brat."

"A-ha!" Alice cried, slamming foot forcefully against the table everyone sat around and pointing a finger at him. "I was right!"

"It's an Illegal Contractor, isn't it?" Gil questioned from the doorway to the balcony. He'd since stamped out his cigarette, but a bit of lingering smoke still curled in toxic tendrils around him. It gave the irritable Raven a boost to his dark aura.

Oz bounced up, intending to give his lovable valet a hug, but he transitioned right into the scolding. "Gil! Ladies don't like men that smell like smoke!" he said, confiscating the half-empty pack in Gil's hand.

Gil blushed horrifically, not even attempting to hide that it wasn't really the ladies' thoughts he was worried about. "Th-th-that's not what we're talking about right now!" Awkwardly turning away from Oz, he once again addressed Break. "An Illegal Contractor?"

"Correct~!" Break grabbed the plate of cake laid out for Oz and shoved it all in his mouth; much to the latter's chagrin.

"H-hey!" Oz said, horrified to see half his plate sticking out of Break's mouth.

"However..." Break, suddenly serious, narrowed his crimson eye. "She is my problem, so I intend to take care of her. All you have to do is stay out of the way."

Confused silence fell over the three as they all looked from Break to each other. What was that supposed to mean? They were usually the ones to do Break's work; he never did it for himself.

Break cheered right up in an instant. "All right! We're leaving in a couple of hours. I expect to see all you there by then~."

With that, he walked into a closet as if it was the most normal thing in the world, leaving the three behind to prepare for the unexpected.

**Catch my little Oz x Gil moment? x3**

**Yeah, it's short and sucky... o-o; It will be better once I add my OCs (I hope)...~**

**R&R~!**


	2. I -- All Fun and Games

**Yo! So... pretty much the first legit chapter... OCs galore, but I couldn't help myself. If you're doing the Wizard of Oz, you're _doing _the Wizard of Oz. Gotta throw in all the characters~.**

**Oh, hey, look! Words! Read them!**

"Hey, look at that!" Oz pointed ahead, emerald eyes wide, absorbing everything with an incredulous look on his face.

"Oz, that's just a tree…" His faithful valet facepalmed. "We're not even close to the place."

Break raised an eyebrow at them both. "Has he really never been to a carnival?"

Gil looked back at him to answer. "No… we were always worried that he would get kidnapped if he strayed too far from the mansion. Mrs. Kate especially…"

"I don't understand why we have to walk through this damn forest to get there," Alice complained loudly, almost tripping over _another_ root. "Damn it!"

Break glanced nonchalantly up into the leaves. "Rumor has it, this carnival was created by a band of nomads with nowhere to go. When they set up camp, they hide themselves secretly in hard-to-find places and send out a scout to gather their customers."

Oz blinked in confusion. "Why would they do that?"

In response, Break only chuckled to himself. "I have no clue~. I've never had the chance to investigate."

"But you have an idea," stated Gil, emotionless.

Before Break could answer, Alice nodded to the lights that could now be seen through the dense shrubbery. "Hey, clown! What's that?"

"Ah!" Break announced, lifting the heavy mood. "It seems we're here already~"

Soon, the trees thinned, revealing their destination. A myriad of run-down carts and rusting carriages were scattered like playthings in Abyss within the clearing. Gas lamps hung from rotting iron hooks everywhere, helpfully illuminating the signs hanging by each entrance, since the dark of the evening would make them illegible otherwise. The first cart before them had smoke accompanied by a wondrous smell wafting from the small window and a tiny vent in the roof. The sign read, "Fresh-Cooked Meat."

When the scent reached Alice, she stopped short, mouth agape. "Ooooh! Meat!" she cried, tugging on Oz's sleeve. "Let's go get some, slave!"

Oz scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly. "A-ah... I don't have any money, Alice. Why don't you go with Gil?"

The two in question glared at each other, frowning angrily. Obviously, neither was overjoyed with Oz's decision.

Gil looked to him desperately. "Oz!" he whined. "Do I have to?"

"What was that, kelp head?" Alice snarled, a vein popping up on the side of her forehead.

"Shut up, you damn rabbit!" Gil roared.

The two were at each other's throats in a heartbeat, violent sparks crackling as their gazes met. They were always ready to fight to the death over anything and everything, especially Oz. It seemed as if they would never get along.

Oz, trying to keep the peace, smiled cheerily at them both. "See? I think you two will have a nice time." He pushed them off in the direction of the aromatic shop. "Have fun!"

"Maybe you should _go with them_, Oz..." Break muttered rather pointedly.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Break!" Oz chimed, his grin only widening. "A carnival is no fun alone, right?"

"Obnoxious brat..." the scarlet-eyed man hissed under his breath. With the fakest smile he could muster, he forced out, "All right then, let's go~"

Happily, Oz skipped ahead, weaving in between the carts with something resembling practiced ease. Break followed him, chewing on his lip with an irritated expression. He needed to lose Oz, and fast. He couldn't take care of this particular problem with him in tow. He might have the potential to control Abyss, but until that awakened, he was utterly useless without Raven and B-Rabbit. The question was, how to get rid of him...

He nearly bumped into Oz, who was just standing there at the crossroads. Slipping back to reality, Break rubbed his head. "Oz, why are you—?"

Then he noticed the woman. She was just sitting there, perched atop a tall fencepost that marked the corner of a small zoo. Behind the thick pine beams of the fence, herds of swine and guinea-fowl paraded about, showing off their pristine hides and feathers. Evidently, someone took excellent care of them.

She cocked her head at the two, studying them with a blank expression that reminded Break of a certain duke he'd rather not think about. Her hair fell in straw-colored sheets that swayed in the autumn breeze. Her irises reflected a dull hazel, the color of the ground so far below her. She wore simple clothing, consisting of teal overalls over a beige turtleneck, fitting of the temperature on this night.

"Are you lost? Silly me, of course you are," she called to them, looking upon the two with pity. "Don't fret, my chicks. Mama Jerami will set you straight. You're headed that way." Indicating the path to their left, she smiled, seeming satisfied with her public service.

A bead of sweat rolled off Oz's face. "Uh... you don't even know where we're going..."

The woman shrugged. "You don't either. What does it matter, then? If you don't like that path, you could always take this other one." She pointed to the other path on their right.

Sighing, Oz murmured, "You're no help at all..."

Break knew this was his chance to lose Oz, and he'd be a fool to let it just slip away. "Why don't we split up and see which way is best? Then we can come back and compare~"

Oz turned to face him. Granted, Break realized he wasn't an idiot. Oblivious sometimes, perhaps, but certainly not stupid. Break actually theorized that he knew more about Abyss and why he was sent there than he let on. Just this once, he hoped Oz could be the dunce he acted as.

Thankfully for Break, Oz nodded. "Good idea!"

"Wonderful~!" Break flapped his white sleeves around as he took the left path. "We'll meet back here soon, then~"

The woman on the fencepost hid a chuckle behind her pale, slender hand. "Good luck to you both."

Break thought about her as he walked along. She was odd to say the least. Her clothes, although fitting for someone who worked with animals, had not the slightest speck of dirt on them. Neither had that thin, dainty hand of hers. And she hadn't even glanced at the animals in the pen, as a true caretaker with adoration for her swine might have. She hadn't looked as if she'd worked a day in her life... at least, not doing a farmer's work. Had Emily been with him, she would have piped up with, _Isn't that abnormal?_ or something of the sort.

He soon came to another crossroads somewhere behind that strange woman's zoo. As Break considered the paths before him, an all-too-familiar voice called out, "Break!"

"Oz," he sighed. How wonderful.

The blonde boy skipped right up to him. "How strange! Both those paths led to the same place. All that fuss for nothing!" Oz joined him in scanning the available roads. "Which way now?"

Wordlessly, Break ascended the one in the middle. He could sense her... over the crest of the hill. What bad luck for Oz. He'd be caught right in the middle of whatever unpleasantness lay ahead, but it was his fault for not taking a hint.

"Break!" Oz shouted, trying to catch up. "Where are you—?"

There was the caravan. It was the best-kept one in the camp so far, painted brightly with multi-colored swirls and abstract shapes. Everything seemed to be in good shape. A simple sign on the door read, "Madame Dorothy's Fortunes."

"Finally," Break breathed. "I have you."

"Fortunes?" Oz was starstruck. "She can actually tell your future? Amazing!" He instantly ran for the door, but stopped short when a quiet melody reached his ears.

The source of the song was a dark-skinned old man leaning against the cart, plucking at a lyre. His simple robe was ragged and soiled, like he'd worn the same thing for the past seventy years. In the dim lantern light, his unseeing eyes glinted milky white under his long, unkempt silver mane.

"Please, good sirs, hear my plea;  
Listen just a moment, I'll give a rhyme to thee.  
Simple bards ask little, I ask not a lot;  
For each couplet, a clink in the pot."

Oz blinked. "Oh? A bard?" He plopped down cross-legged before the decrepit man. "I will listen, sir!"

Break smiled. At least this old bag would keep Oz preoccupied while he took care of business, provided she didn't fight him. As the man started speaking in more riddles, Break entered the caravan.

Inside, it was more impressive than outside. The walls were draped in embroidered finery, silky scarfs and feather-light chiffon. The enticing scent of smoky incense was thick in the air. In the haze, it was hard to see anything, but Break could make out a table tucked at the back of the cart.

"Who goes there?" A woman's voice—no, more of a girl's, high pitched and innocent, much like Sharon's—called out to him.

He smiled once again, waving apologetically. "'Tis only a customer for you, Madame Dorothy. Forgive my rude intrusion, I should have knocked."

"Ah, it's quite all right. I should have guessed. Please, why don't you sit, sir?"

Fighting his way through the layers of cloth, Break found the seat she indicated and took a seat. "Thank you."

Madame Dorothy was hard to see, not only because of the smoke in the room, but her adornments nearly coated her. Her face still clung to youth, placing her age somewhere in the mid-twenties. Chocolate brown curls peeked out from her elaborate scarves and clinking jewels. Sky-blue eyes, warm yet timid, blinked at him under pounds of sparkling make-up. Multiple bejeweled rings constricted each finger as she clutched tight to her crystal ball.

She was staring at him strangely, a sort of awed look someone experiencing déjà vu might have. Realizing this, she quickly regained her composure. "Just a moment. I must contact the spirits to read your future." She closed her eyes and groaned convincingly.

Break laughed outright. "That's quite a convincing act! But why not tell the truth?"

Madame Dorothy's eyes blinked open, marbled with disbelief.

"I know who really does the readings. Your Chain, Wicked Witch."

The woman shuddered, her eyes rolling back into her head as she fainted dead away. A few seconds later, she sat up with an entirely new attitude. She slammed her elbows on the table, smirking seductively at him. Her eyes were no longer the comforting blue, but a poisonous glowing green.

"Hatter." Her voice dripped with artificial kindness. "How wonderful to see you."

Break responded only with a blood-red glare.

Dorothy, clearly possessed by her Chain, clucked her tongue at him. "It's been so long that you've forgotten my name? It's me Elphaba, sweetie, don't you recall?"

"I'm taking your Contractor to Pandora." Break had a ready hand on his sword. "I know you wouldn't fight me, so luring you was the best way to do it."

Elphaba froze, stricken. "Don't. I know I've never done anything deserving, but I need this one favor of you, Hatter."

He was the one smirking now. "Attached to your Contractor, are you?"

She sighed. "I hid her past and showed her the future. I'm turning her life around, can't you see?"

"She's still an Illegal Contractor."

"A Contract with me was the best thing that's ever happened to her!"

"Oh so? Being dragged to Abyss on the final turn of the incuse will be the best thing that's ever happened to her?"

"She's prepared for that. Her wish is something she'll do anything to fufill."

There, he could relate. Break loosened his grip on his sword. "Why don't you tell me my future, Elphaba, since I'm here?"

Happily returning to her element, she fiddled with several of Dorothy's rings. "When you walk out of this caravan, you will be surrounded by enemies. Those you associate with will be in danger. Someone you consider an enemy will come to your aid. You will have to decide if punishment is befitting of a hero."

He sat there a moment, considering what he was told. Then he stood, giving the Chain a curt nod. "Thank you."

She cleared her throat, smiling at him.

Sighing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin.

Elphaba took it from him. "Pleasure doing business with you, Hatter. And... make sure you make the right decision."

Without another word, Break turned and headed for the door.

**Phew! That was a chapter, all right. Exciting stuff is being planned!**

**Did you like it? Did you not? R&R all the same!**


	3. II -- Clash of the Frightened

**Well! I return with a new chapter. Finally! I daresay, these Chains were fun to create~. I tried to write some action scenes too, but they didn't work out too well... *shot***

**You have no idea how grateful I am that this actually has readers... :'D Thank you so, so, so, so much! Motivation rocks!**

**I hope you enjoy~!**

When Break stepped out onto the spongy grass, chaos erupted.

Oz had since recoiled from the aged bard with a look of sheer horror. As for the blind man, the thick brows over his milky eyes were downturned in anger. The silvery locks of his hair floated ominously, moved by an unseen force.

"You say you cannot pay the fee?  
That's a pity;  
Instead you'll give your life to me."

Something that resembled metallic lightning exploded from the old beggar, lashing out at Oz. He scrambled away just in time to escape the whirring blades that could only belong to the bard's Chain.

As it fell back to hover protectively over its master, the two began to look fit for each other. Its tin rosebud-shaped head was decorated only by two features: empty, soulless eyes, whiter than fresh cream, and a grinning mouth full of jagged teeth. Glinting silver blades made up what was apparently the Chain's body, clanking violently with each minor twitch. But there was evidence of its age. A trained eye could spot the rust streaks running down its face and staining its blades, which may have been the cause of its slightly slowed reactions. Dents and other deteriorations were abundant as well, although subtle and subdued. It seemed as though the Chain was concealing its own battle scars, like a woman might pat on lots of make-up to hide her faults.

Now the blind man's grin matched the Chain's, toothy and bloodthirsty. But the smile soon zipped itself together as the bard's eyebrows arched in concern.

"Ah! It seems now that Tin Man has appeared,  
His comrades rush to his side; ho! They draw near."

As if on cue, an infuriated Alice stalked out of the shrubbery, dragging Gil behind her by the collar. He was petrified, like he'd seen a ghost or something. Which, for the angsty twenty-four year old Raven, meant only one thing.

"C-cat..." he whimpered, assuming the fetal position.

"This _seaweed-brained—_" Alice huffed, short of breath. "Completely useless!"

A boy followed by what evidently was his formidable Chain raced up behind them. The child could have been no more than ten or eleven, with a wild, curly mop of auburn hair. His rich golden eyes seemed oddly confident for such a timid face, naturally twisted with fear. He quivered under his grease-splattered smock that was far too big for him. His Chain towered above him, although it appeared younger than its master; a mere lion cub with the iridescent, slimy tail of a fish. Besides that, nothing was exactly unnatural about the creature, until you tried to look into its eyes, and realized: _they weren't there_. The cub's face held no sign that it had ever had eye sockets at all.

The young golden-eyed boy called out to the bard, his voice more tremulous than his own body. "Finnegan? Wh-what's wrong?"

"You blew it, Finn," a second voice called out from among the surrounding trees. A honeyed female voice Break recognized instantly.

The woman from the animal enclosure earlier swung down from a sturdy birch tree like a monkey. Her Chain followed close behind, crashing through the trees without the slightest trace of its Contractor's grace. It closely resembled a Trump, with its lanky, almost skeletal body and stitched features. But there were distinct differences with this Chain. This one did have eyes, unlike a Trump, that were disgustingly humanoid; amber irises and pinprick pupils that seemed to be stuck in opposite directions, making it look simply ridiculous. Instead of the playing-card markings, on the towering Chain's ratty green plaid cloak was the silhouette of a crow. What appeared to be hay was sticking out from its form haphazardly.

Oz seemed completely shocked. "Y-you too...?"

"They're all Contractors, Oz," Break stated coolly, drawing his sword once more. "Didn't you think it was strange how they let us in without an admission fee?"

Gilbert froze. "No... Is this really—?"

Break narrowed his lone blood-red eye. "A carnival for souls. The price is your life."

The false farmer woman cackled. "I knew it! Mama Jerami knew you were a smart one."

"O-oh no..." The little boy cowered. "I-is he from... Pandora...?"

"Don't worry, Oliver," the Jerami woman cooed, ruffling the boy's auburn hair. "The adults will take care of it."

The newly dubbed Oliver blinked up at her in concern. "Kara..."

"Do not fear the Pandora clown.  
Kara and I will take him down.  
Scarecrow and Tin Man are strong enough, so  
Take your Cowardly Lion and go."

Finnegan ensured the little boy, finishing his rhyme with a nod.

"No!" Oliver cried, his chin trembling. "Y-you guys are my friends! I'll n-never leave you behind!"

Kara shook him by the shoulders, abandoning her assured tone. "Battle is no place for a little boy! Really, Oliver, you must go!"

Break stepped forward, interrupting the scene. "How endearing. Forgive me, but I'm running out of patience. I'm afraid none of you have a chance against my Mad Hatter, so let's get this over with, shall we?"

His Chain erupted from his form with a toxic black flourish. He brandished his sword, crimson eye darting between three Contractors, waiting for them to strike.

Kara's eyes opened impossibly wide, staring in horror at both man and Chain. "That's really... Mad Hatter...?"

Poor blind Finnegan, unaware of the danger, ushered his Chain into battle regardless.

"Ha! So it seems my opponent truly is mad;  
Now you must die. It's really too bad."

Tin Man advanced, its blade swirling like a morbid merry-go-round. Its grins somehow widened as it addressed Break itself. "_Lights out for the crazy clown!_" it chortled maniacally, slashing out at the Pandora member.

Break only considered the Chain with a bored expression that slowly darkened to irritation. "I already said I was running out of patience. Now you've just made me angry."

He raised his sword to counter the attack, stopping the spinning Chain as blade met blade. However, Break's sword hummed with the powers of Mad Hatter, and sliced through the steel of his opponent like it was butter. The appendage immediately crumbled away from Tin Man as stone. A painful howl reverberated from both Chain and Contractor.

"Finn! You fool!" Kara cried, rushing to her older friend's side.

Finnegan's face was twisted with pain. He clasped his right hand with his left, fumbling blindly for the ring finger that was no longer there. All that remained was a bloodied stump. As he realized what had become of his hand, his gasps for breath morphed into mortified whimpers.

Meanwhile, Oz had scrambled over to join Gil and Alice as they studied the shaking child, Oliver. The scared little boy acted tough, throwing out a challenge. "W-well? Aren't you g-going to fight m-me?"

Alice smirked. "If that's really what you want, carrot-top. Seaweed head! Release my powers!"

Wordlessly, Gil gave a curt nod. Using his teeth, he tore off his glove and placed the hand on Oz's forehead. The point of their connection emitted an ethereal glow, a light that also shone around Alice as she became the gigantic black rabbit, scythe in hand.

"Prepare to die, you measly kitten!" she screeched, swinging her weapon though—

—nothing.

"Huh?" Alice grunted, whipping around in confusion. Both Oliver and Cowardly Lion had disappeared into thin air. _Where could they have gone so quickly...?_

"U-useful, isn't it?"

With a feral snarl, Alice slashed out behind her in the direction of the voice. Again, her attack was rendered useless, cutting through nothing more than a falling leaf. "What the—!?"

"Lion's a-ability. 'Hide.' I c-can see you, but you can't see m-me."

Whirling around, Alice struck a third time. Suddenly, a roaring pain dropped her to her knees. Claws raked her back, slicing though her coat and marring her skin. Wincing, she hissed, "Coward!"

Oliver chuckled darkly as he materialized before her astride his Chain. "P-perhaps. But I'm not the o-one on the ground, a-am I?"

It was then the one heroic word rand out: "Stop!"

Time itself nearly froze. A chilling silence fell over the space outside Madame Dorothy's cart as all eyes locked on her gossamer-wrapped form, fluttering in the autumn breeze. Her arms were spread in a dramatic pose, an obvious effort to end the violence before her. Heavily lined blue eyes were open wide, completing her desperate look, filled to the brim with tears.

"Dorothy!" Kara cried.

"Kara, Finn, Oliver! Fall back!" Dorothy ordered sternly.

Oliver frowned, voice faltering. "B-but..."

"I can handle this myself."

The three Illegal Contractors nodded slowly, the younger two rushing to help Finnegan to the shade of a nearby oak.

With her friends at a safe distance away, Dorothy now approached Break. He noticed a flicker of the expression he'd seen when he'd sat down with her earlier—the recognition, the deja vu—but it subsided quickly, leaving behind a sort of stony remorse. "Perhaps we can negotiate, Mister Hatter."

Break raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Oh?"

She took a deep, shaky breath. "I know you are from Pandora, and you intend to arrest everyone here as an Illegal Contractor. But you must know the reason people form contracts. There was a hardship in each of these people's lives that made them take this path, something they are ready to die to change. Can you feel no sympathy for them?"

He could. He knew firsthand why people gave in to a Chain's sweet offer. But as a Pandora member, it wasn't his job to be sympathetic. Break was supposed to punish Illegal Contractors for their crimes. No exceptions.

"So I deplore you," Dorothy continued, salty tears finally spilling down her cheeks, "let them go, and just take me in their place. I can say every person in this carnival is my dearest friend. They do not deserve an awful end."

Break was supposed to punish Illegal Contractors for their crimes. No exceptions.

But...

He wasn't her for these other Contractors. He'd come here with one mission: apprehend Elphaba's Contractor at any cost. And here she was, pleading blue eyes enticing him, begging to be taken in. This way, things worked out rather easily.

Break smiled cheerily at her. "Okay! If that's really what you want, I agree to your terms."

She blinked in surprise at his automatic acceptance. "Uh... okay...?"

"N-no, Dorothy!" Oliver wailed, running out to clutch at her legs. He blinked up at her, tears spilling from his feline eyes. "You can't go with h-him! Don't leave us!"

Kara trembled, unable to even look at her friend. Her hands were balled up in tight fists.

Finnegan, sensing her anguish, reached out his good hand to pat her arm. Through his pain, he managed to say,

"Dorothy's decision saves us all for a while.  
Come now, honor her choice with a smile."

With that, Kara could not take any more. She openly sobbed into her dainty pale fingers, tears dripping between them.

It was then Dorothy cradled her in a comforting embrace. "Shh, Kara. It's not forever, I promise you."

Kara only sobbed harder. "Dorothy... you're like my big sister, you know? What will I do without you? How will I know which way is left without you?"

This made Dorothy laugh, a sound like the tinkling of a handmade wind chime, drawing out a smile from Kara too. Then, Dorothy brought Finnegan and Oliver into the hug. "You'll have these two! I know they'll take good care of you, and you'll do the same for them."

"We'll miss you, D-Dorothy!" Oliver sniffled.

"And I will miss you all, too," Dorothy murmured, giving her three best friends a final squeeze. "But it isn't 'goodbye', it's 'see you later'! I'm confident we'll meet again someday!"

Tears even formed in Finnegan's unseeing eyes.

"I sincerely hope your words are true,  
But it must be the future, knowing you."

Dorothy giggled one last time, planting a kiss on the old man's cheek. With a final wave to her trio of comrades, she approached Break, steeling herself under his scrutiny. "Well?"

**CLIFFIE! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! **

**Wow... a lot of tears in that chapter... I think I cried myself. D':**

**You know the drill! R&R~**


End file.
